SpongeBob FangFace

Working from home, I typically hear the ice cream truck driving by in the afternoon, after school is out but before Pat and Greta are home. I somehow manage to restrain myself from hopping out of my computer chair and grabbing my wallet to get something icy cold and delicious. For one, I've been ridiculously busy with work and taking a break for ice cream is not foremost in my mind. For another, we always have some sort of iced confection in our freezer this time of year. Finally, I'm a 33-year-old woman; I can show some self-control in the face of ice cream.

Last night, after dinner, we heard the familiar bell of the Scoops truck*. Moments after the bell was first audible, many thoughts went through my mind: Ice cream! Greta would like ice cream. If we got Greta ice cream tonight, would she beg us for ice cream the next hundred times we heard the ice cream truck? Greta basically just ate corn and nothing else for dinner. Can I really condone dessert? Hmm, that ice cream costs money. We have ice cream in the freezer. I'm tired and this chair is mighty comfortable...

But lucky for everyone, Pat got a very excited look in his eye and he popped up, grabbed Greta under her arms, and yelled, "Ice cream truck!"

They quickly put their shoes on and ran outside just in time to get some ice cream. Greta chose Scooby Doo; Pat chose SpongeBob; and Pat knows me well, so he got me one of those sugar cones with vanilla ice cream, chocolate shell, and chopped nuts on top.

After a pretty crappy day - nay, week - this was awesome:

I love my family, my totally valid reason for overpriced ice cream on a Friday night.

Is it me, or does Pat's SpongeBob SquarePants look more like SpongeBob FangFace?

* PnF fun fact: In the summer of 1999, we were living in a cruddy apartment on Rutgers Street. Our friend Vienneau was living in town for the summer, working for Scoops, and he struck a deal to room in our attic apartment, in this mini half-room that was really just a dormer. He would pay for the utilities and bring each of the four roommates (Pat; this kid named Jason, who fell of the face of the earth; Jason's girlfriend at the time, Colleen; and me) our favorite ice cream every night he worked during the summer. He always brought me home my favorite: a sugar cone with vanilla ice cream, chocolate shell, and chopped nuts. :)

Fran